Off to a Strong Start

Received Sydney's First Grade progress report yesterday and the news was...EXCELLENT.

Syd earned an 89% in English and a 95% in Math. Most importantly, she told me how much she loves school. Just need to keep it going for 11 more years of high school, four years of undergraduate work, and eight years of post-graduate studies.

New Favorite Saying...

A pig gets fed, but a hog gets slaughtered. Don’t get greedy.

Healthcare Reform?

It seems to me that you have to remove the ridiculous profits from the health insurance industry if you're ever going to start making a dent in the healthcare crisis. Is it time to turn them into a regulated monopoly? I think that is at least a step in the right direction. A business, which by its very definition, is motivated by increasing shareholder revenue has every incentive to charge as much as possible while spending the bare minimum. That is not a viable model for something as important as healthcare. It's time for the dems, in general, and Obama in particular, to get their acts together, realize there is nothing the republicans will support them on and get this thing going.

To Come...

Outside Lands Music Festival, featuring Dave Matthews Band. And September: the month of vegetarianism.

The First Day of First Grade...

...And so the big day was finally upon us. Having hit the outlet malls (see post below) and gotten the latest in six-year-old fashion, with backpack ready to go full of pencils, three-ring binder, crayons and lunchbox, and with a ton of enthusiasm for the big day, Syd was ready. I made it to her classroom, Number 5 at Century Elementary, a little after 8:00 am. And just a few minutes later, Syd and her mom showed up. Sporting still-drying hair, her new long-sleeved pink shirt and brown cords, Syd was all set...except for the backpack left in the car. Ok, minor hiccup. After a quick trip, she was armed. Friends from kindergarten and Campus Club (after-school care) passed by. A "hi" here and a hug there and Syd was back in her element. Soon thereafter, Ms. Elliot appeared, opened the door and began the process of welcoming her new first grade students, speaking briefly with each parent and posing for a picture with her new pupils. Always prepared and wanting to make a good first impression, Syd had picked a flower, which she presented to Ms. Elliot as she walked in. A couple of days later, she gave her a drawing, which she had been working on the day before, but left at our house.

Syd is now into her second week of first grade and all is going well. She did tell me the other night that two boys called her a "sucker" and then she got hit in the head by a jump rope and in the stomach by a ball, but other than that, no worse for wear. She continues to really enjoy her school, friends and teacher and so we can't really ask for much more. Stay tuned for more first grade updates...

A Girl Needs Outfits

With the first day of school, and specifically, the first day of first grade a mere two days away, it was time to take Syd shopping for some back-to-school clothes. But there would be no Target this year, not today. First grade is big time. And big time calls for real shopping (note: if you can buy lawn furniture and ArmorAll when you are shopping for clothes, well, that is not real shopping). So off to the outlet malls in Tulare we went.

A quick forty-five minutes on the highway and we were there, surrounded by Banana and J. Crew, Nike and Tommy and many, many others. Expecting screaming kids and frenzied parents, we pulled into the parking lot and we're pleasantly surprised at the relative calm.

First stop: Gap For Kids. The clothes were very cute. And I think I was more excited for all of the possible outfits than Sydney was. I picked out butterfly and heart shirts, and when I asked Syd if she liked them/wanted them, her response was, "sure." I think daddy may be more excited for this little excursion than you-know-who. In any event...off to Osh. There, the clothes were more for the younger set, but they had a great deal on long-sleeved T's. So with those in hand and a pair of brown cords, we were set. We tried to find some shoes, but nothing was available in her size. We would have to hit Target for the rainbow sandals she had set her sights on.

With hundreds of stores in the area, we stopped at Banana Republic before heading to lunch. While the clothes weren't exactly to Syd's liking, she did enjoy the accessories, as the pictures attest.

The day concluded with lunch at Chili's and then a trip to see the movie, "Shorts." I will refrain from a review at this time. Suffice it to say, it was infinitely better than "Public Enemies."

And with that, Syd was set for the first of 12. More to come on how she fared...

Change You Can Believe In

After years of throwing my daily amassing of change into various containers around the house, I broke out the recently acquired coin sorter (thank you, Kathleen) on Tuesday and got to work. And work it was. Handfuls of coins in. Wrappers quickly filling. Sealing and exchanging full wrappers for empty ones. On and on this went. And, in fact, will continue until I wrap the approximately 2,000 pennies strewn on my coffee table. But the report so far is pretty good:

Dollars: $21.00
Quarters: $220.00
Dimes: $55.00
Nickels: $16.00
Pennies: $6.00….and counting

I think when all is said and done, I’ll have about $340 “newly” found ducats. Not too shabby. Now the question: what to do with this fortune. I could keep amassing until I have enough for a cool vacation or use it as the last payment on my credit card. But what else? I will take any and all suggestions. Some have suggested that I open an online account and start day trading…ok, that someone was me. After all, it is found money, right? Sure I could invest it, buy something for Syd, but…

So if you have any great ideas, let me know.